Prelude
Prelude
The transition between the late Roman and the post-Roman west was not a simple process. First came the Migration period, the Völkerwanderung, when Germanic peoples swept through the Western Roman Empire. Then the Empire ceased to exist, dissolved by Odoacer. Odoacer was in turn dethroned by the Ostrogoths, who were conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire, which was mostly driven out of the Italian peninsula by the Lombards. The old faiths were replaced by or absorbed into Christianity, and the numerous heresies were rooted out. Now a new faith, hailing from the deserts in the east, was preached from the Atlantic Ocean to India, uniting one of the largest empires the world has ever seen.
The Mediterranean had long been defined by a single empire, existing in a mono-polar state where the only real challenges were from within. But with the fall of Rome, the status quo was lost, never to return. Now was a time of warring empires, a time of feuding faiths, a time of great men and greater mistakes. It was in this multi-polar sea of kingdoms and empires that Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ghafiqi set out from Al-Andalus.
Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi would soon come to clash with the Majordomo of Francia, Charles Martel, in the woody hills near Tours. It was an unusually warm day in early October, and though the Franks were outnumbered, they held the defensive line and fought valiantly. The battle seemed to favor neither side for quite a while, until a cavalry charge broke through the Frankish lines. Acting faster than the Franks could react, Martel was cut down by Arab swords. The hero of Francia met his end on the hills of Tours. Soon after, the disoriented Frankish army was routed. Al-Ghafiqi however, had also suffered heavy casualties and feared a counterattack by a reorganized Frankish army. Using the victory to extort the city of Tours for treasure, Al-Ghafiqi returned to Al-Andalus. The battle was chronicled by Frankish, Aquitanian and Arab sources- and while all of them seemed to recognize the importance of Martel's death, none could predict the history shattering consequences that the Majordomo's demise would have.
The transition between the late Roman and the post-Roman west was not a simple process. First came the Migration period, the Völkerwanderung, when Germanic peoples swept through the Western Roman Empire. Then the Empire ceased to exist, dissolved by Odoacer. Odoacer was in turn dethroned by the Ostrogoths, who were conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire, which was mostly driven out of the Italian peninsula by the Lombards. The old faiths were replaced by or absorbed into Christianity, and the numerous heresies were rooted out. Now a new faith, hailing from the deserts in the east, was preached from the Atlantic Ocean to India, uniting one of the largest empires the world has ever seen.
The Mediterranean had long been defined by a single empire, existing in a mono-polar state where the only real challenges were from within. But with the fall of Rome, the status quo was lost, never to return. Now was a time of warring empires, a time of feuding faiths, a time of great men and greater mistakes. It was in this multi-polar sea of kingdoms and empires that Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ghafiqi set out from Al-Andalus.
Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi would soon come to clash with the Majordomo of Francia, Charles Martel, in the woody hills near Tours. It was an unusually warm day in early October, and though the Franks were outnumbered, they held the defensive line and fought valiantly. The battle seemed to favor neither side for quite a while, until a cavalry charge broke through the Frankish lines. Acting faster than the Franks could react, Martel was cut down by Arab swords. The hero of Francia met his end on the hills of Tours. Soon after, the disoriented Frankish army was routed. Al-Ghafiqi however, had also suffered heavy casualties and feared a counterattack by a reorganized Frankish army. Using the victory to extort the city of Tours for treasure, Al-Ghafiqi returned to Al-Andalus. The battle was chronicled by Frankish, Aquitanian and Arab sources- and while all of them seemed to recognize the importance of Martel's death, none could predict the history shattering consequences that the Majordomo's demise would have.